HYDERABAD: Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar on Monday met with representatives of Think City (a Malaysian organisation to make cities more citizen-friendly) and Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to discuss the comprehensive economic and heritage restoration of the Charminar precinct.
“We are planning to revive the Charminar pedestrianisation project in addition to cultural and heritage restoration. The focus will be on economic inclusion and integrating it with the local public. They (Think City) have done a similar successful project in Penang, Malaysia,” Arvind Kumar said.
In September, the State government decided to scrap the 24-year-old pedestrianisation project after it failed to meet deadlines repeatedly. Instead, the government introduced the ‘Charminar Historical Precinct Revitalisation Plan’. The Quli Qutub Shah Development Authority (QQSUDA) and the National Institute of Urban Management (NIUM) will be spearheading the project.
Officials are identifying partners and discussing the possibilities to revamp the 16th-century monument and its surroundings. Officials said the project will now aim to look beyond architectural restoration. It will be a comprehensive master plan integrated with a social and economic revitalisation plan to ensure the sustainable development of the historic precinct, they added.